The Winter Kingdom
History One of the Ancient Elven kingdoms, and the most infamous. The Winter Kingdom was formed by the drow in the colds of the far north, looking to escape from discrimination. With the incredibly long nights of the north, the Drow people flourished in these cold climates, and reached a point where they were advancing beyond the other societies of the world. Despite this, other cultures still had a superior attitude, and would often gang up on the Winter Kingdom to refuse them good trade agreements in favour of each other. Eventually, the rule was passed down to the man now known as the Winter King. A tactical, political and scientific prodigy, he promised his people that never again would the people of the south discriminate against them, and that they, the Winter Kingdom, would rise above all others. Initially, his talk was seen as idle threats- the Drow were not numerous and the inhospitable conditions meant that unlike the Augury and Eolas, there were no humans or other "Lesser Races" to control. However, it did not take long for the Winter King's soul magic and genetic mutation experiments to provide- out of the blood of a great many creatures and beasts- a fighting force. These hardy creatures were christened Orcs, named after the monsters of fairytales that would steal villages from the rich and undeserving. With the mulititudes of Orcish soldiers, and the powers of an unknown dark benefactor, the Winter King blocked out the sun with a dark magical cloud, which would cover all the area he reigned, and began war on the world. This marked the beginning of the Era of the Long Night. With the death of the Winter King at the Battle of Dawnbreak, a new leader was needed. However, the Orcs, who believed that power should be the ultimate ruler of society, believed that none among the Drow were worthy. The coronation of the winter king's successor was ended when Dhorgal Gratnik, a general of the Winter King, beheaded and ate the drow who was chosen by their courts, creating the new position of Warchief of Orcguard. As Orcs vied for power, all those who used to farm were either subjugated, slaughtered for food, or became soldiers themselves, leading to massive food shortages that now drive Orcguard to expand ever outwards to strip the land bare of all it's food and devour those who are too weak to stop them. Politics Originally, politics in the Winter Kingdom was based on a hierarchical system where noble families would choose among themselves who would take the position of the leader in a democratic election. However, after the death of the Winter King, this system was replaced by the Warchief- whoever could prove themselves to be the biggest, baddest and most deadly warrior would sit upon the throne and rule all, while other chiefs would fight amongst each other for a chance for the top spot. Winter King This position is held empty, as according to the Orcs, the only true "Winter King" is their father. Many worship him as a god, and believe he survived the final battle, left them to grow stronger, and will someday return to lead them. Warchief of Orcguard The de facto leader of the Winter Kingdom is the Warchief of Orcguard. The Warchief changes regularly, as duels for this position among the Chiefs are common, and frequently a Warchief will be killed by a bigger, tougher wannabe Warchief. Chief of Orcs A Chief of Orcs is a leader of a tribe who has taken a huge amount of land under his control by force of strength or, occasionally, ingenuity. Despite the name, the numbers of the Chiefs include many Drow. A chief is made when they declare themselves to be one, and continues until they are killed by another, as is the Orcish way. At any moment, there could be a thousand Chiefs or just a few dozen, depending on how good the slaughter has been and the strength of the contenders- a Chief must always be prepared to fight another's army to the death for honour and land. Bloodsworn The children of Orc chiefs, through blood or battle. The Bloodsworn make a solemn oath to never rise up against their Chief, to support their Chief, and in return, should their chief ascend to the position of Warchief, they will be granted the title of Chief themselves, allowed to kill another in the court for the power and privilege they get. Warrior 80% of the population of the Winter Kingdom are warriors, as there are no farmers or workers anymore. A Warrior commands as many men as they can beat up, and hopes to someday have enough men under their control to contest and kill their own Chief and his or her Bloodsworn. Parasite Parasites are slaves, effectively. Seen as too weak to fight, these are creatures that are forced to do the bidding of a Chief in exchange for not being brutally slaughtered. Commonly, Parasites are prisoners of use such as Blacksmiths or tinkerers who can make weapons, who work for the Winter Kingdom in exchange for their lives. But once they are no longer productive, should they run out of materials, ideas, or be worked until too sickly, they will be killed and their bodies repurposed. Military As previously addressed, in the modern Orcguard, all are soldiers. Those who are too weak to fight become Parasites, part of the slave class, or die and serve as meat. Many Chiefs, particularly the Drow, will use Necromancy to raise armies of undead to keep themselves in power and have a loyal core of servants who will not betray them for their own greed. The Military is reffered to as the Orcguard, which has become a term used to refer to the kingdom as a whole, now that there is no king. The Law and Criminality Originally, there was a taskforce of lawbringers, however most were killed, subjugated or became Chiefs once the Warchief took control. These days, there is no law- What you can keep is yours, what you can take is also yours, and if you left someone alive to bring vengeance upon you, then that vengeance is also yours. Technology Technology is developed and worked on by the Parasite class. Although originally the Winter Kingdom was known for technological marvels like the Augury, most of these have broken over time as the engineers and caretakers were enslaved or killed in the early days of the reformation. Orcguard airships are hastily cobbled together by factory workers who constantly fear for their lives, and so are prone to exploding and varying standards- some might be well crafted, while others are rusty messes kept barely in the air by the Parasites chosen to stay aboard and keep them working. Technology is judged by how many guns it has rather than it's durability, usefulness, or ability to stay functional. Geography All lands of the Winter Kingdom are still engulfed in magical night. They are icy cold, and barren- the farms that have been claimed were stripped of food, and those farmers that once lived there were put to work for the war machine, mining or working in factories on technology and weaponry. Society Originally a society of strict rules, these days Orcguard society has one rule- Survive. If you cannot fight, find someone who will let you work for them, if you cannot work, run. Orcs scavenge, steal and claim whatever they like, and will hold onto it until someone pries it from them. In Orcguard, only that which fights has a right to live, and only that which helps others fight will be granted a stay of execution- but that is all it will be. A stay of execution. Food and Drink Food and drink are whatever can be found. After a successful raid, they will eat the crops that are growing and the food present in the shops they have claimed, slaughter animals and those they cannot make use of and eat them for meat, and finally move on to the next town, the next feast of gluttony. Clothing For soldiers, Armor. The bigger and meaner-looking, the better. An orc horde bristles with spikes, (Often decorated with the severed heads or limbs of foes they chose deserved that honour), and colours of deep crimson and black, to strike fear into those they see. They do not like to waste time assuming that cowards will fight them. Marriage and Family Family is your sworn blood, those who give their word to further your cause. Marriage does not exist. Those you beat into following you are worth only pleasure, and two of a similar standing procreating will be at each other's throats the next day, even while pregnant. There is no place for compassion and weakness in this society. Popularity Spikes are always popular. As are pieces of corpses and war trophies. Having a weapon of a particular caliber will make an impression, as Orcs aren't smiths they either forced someone to make that weapon or took it from a corpse that they had slain. Education An Orc who can read is an orc who has not spent enough time fighting. Medicine Amputation. If symptoms persist, you did not amputate enough. Species and Religion Orcguard is surprisingly accepting, but only of Strong gods- they don't care about denomination or alignment, only that the god is strong. Extra points are awarded if the god has a symbol that looks "Cool". Death in Orcguard When you die, your body is stripped of anything worthwhile by those who killed you (Or were near to you when you died). It will then be feasted upon by warriors. If you died in the presence of someone who wishes to dishonour you further, your body will be thrown out to rot or be eaten by birds. Bathing and Utilities No. Taboos Do what the nearest person who can beat you up says to. If you don't, they will beat you up. A simple taboo. Do not try to outdo, outdress, or show-off more than the biggest bastard in a room if you cannot take them in a fight. Orcs are prideful, and if you have the shinier, spikier armor they will try and take it from you.